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Yelverton Crowell, 9th Great Grandfather

February 6, 2014 — 7 Comments

Norfolk, England

Norfolk, England

My 9th Great Grandfather was probably the earliest Brit settler in Yarmouth, on Cape Cod.  He was from Norfolk, England:

On the south side, West Yarmouth became populated with the descendants of the earliest settler Yelverton Crowe(ll).  (Crowell remained the most prominent surname in the village well into the 20th century.)  Although the Crowells were joined by other families, and married into many of the northside families, the village itself remained small and rural in nature.  Homes with large acreage for subsistence farming dotted the county road (now Route 28) which ran from Parker’s River to Hyannis’ Main Street.   A fulling mill in the village, established in the late 17th century, was the first known mill in Yarmouth.   The Baxters, who operated the mill, also built a gristmill along the shores of Mill Creek in West Yarmouth — a mill which is still in working order and now an historic site owned by the town.  Stores, however, were few and tradesmen were fewer.  Many villagers transacted business in nearby Hyannis or in Yarmouth Port.  Since the village remained rural and undeveloped throughout much of the 18th and 19th century, it presented a blank palette for developers who were to arrive with the turning of the twentieth century.

Yelverton Crowell (1621 – 1683)
is my 9th great grandfather
Elishua Crowell (1643 – 1708)
daughter of Yelverton Crowell
Yelverton Gifford (1676 – 1772)
son of Elishua Crowell
Ann Gifford (1715 – 1795)
daughter of Yelverton Gifford
Frances Congdon (1738 – 1755)
daughter of Ann Gifford
Thomas Sweet (1759 – 1844)
son of Frances Congdon
Valentine Sweet (1791 – 1858)
son of Thomas Sweet
Sarah LaVina Sweet (1840 – 1923)
daughter of Valentine Sweet
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Sarah LaVina Sweet
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

He fought in King Philip’s War against my Wampanoag ancestors:

According to the book “History of Cape Cod: Annals of Barnstable County, Vol 2 by author Frederick Freeman: Both John Crowell and Yelverton Crowell fought with Distinction in King Phillip’s war at the battle of Mount Hope in the year 1675.  John Crowell is listed as having lost one horse.

Sylvester Graham and His Crackers

February 2, 2014 — 2 Comments

The son of an older Presbyterian minister and his much younger wife, Sylvester Graham became an orphan early in his life.  His mother was committed to an insane asylum and his father died.  He was admitted to Amherst, but left without graduating.  He met the Reverend William Metcalf, founder of the first vegetarian church in Philadelphia, known as The Bible Christians. He was convinced to try vegetarianism and soon pronounced it to be the remedy for alcoholism. Graham was a crusader for the use of whole grains.  He was outraged that beer and distilled spirits were using grains to create alcohol rather than whole grain foods.  He was angry with bakers for using what was known as the “bolting cloth” a process that removed the bran from the flour.  In 1837 he called physicians vampires in lectures given to his followers in Boston.  He denounced the butchers and the bakers of the city, causing a revolt on the part of the aforementioned.

Today we know his name because the graham cracker is part of our American cuisine.  The corn flake and other whole grain cereals followed the lead of Graham crackers.  He became an ordained Presbyterian minister and an ardent opponent of the consumption of both alcohol and flesh.  Since legal prohibition had been repealed in 1933 his views on alcohol were out of step with the times, and certainly nobody wanted to hear him go off on vegetarian diet when it was more unpopular.  His hatred for the “bolting cloth” moved him to call it America’s shroud.  Now that so many suffer from saccharine disease, his extreme beliefs that the removal of bran may seem prophetic.  What is crazy is that the Graham cracker of today contains no whole grain.  Unbleached white flour and sugar are the tasty main ingredient in our key lime pie crust, which would have made Sylvester freak out all over the place.

Kindle and I

January 27, 2014 — 3 Comments

APE Cover

APE Cover

In November I decided to go big and stay home with Amazon Prime. To make the most of the services one needs to own a Kindle for the lending library. I purchased the Kindle Fire and later the paperwhite. The Fire has an audio component with good sound. I enjoy the readers much more than I thought I might and new reasons are added all the time. Today as gift from Guy Kawasaki I received a free copy of APE, Author Publisher, Entrepreneur in my Kindle.  Since the book was a gracious gift I added narration for an extra $1.99. I have not tried it yet, but it now gives me the option of reading or listening to the book.  Since the paperwhite has no audio I will obviously use the Fire which so far I have used for cookbooks, instructional books, and poetry.  This is such a cool transformer feature.  I have always enjoyed audio books and frequently bought them after reading some book I liked.  Now they are combined for one low price if you decide at the outset to purchase it.  It bookmarks your place audio or reading. This is an upgrade.  I am excited to try it.

The paperwhite reading experience is easy on the eye and fits perfectly into the hand.  When I read A Religion of One’s Own on it recently I particularly enjoyed the vocabulary feature.  When you touch a word you access a dictionary and the word is automatically added to your Kindle’s vocabulary builder list.  The word remains on the list until you remove it manually.  This feature thrills me because I am a word and language lover, but not always a stop and get the dictionary person.  Reading should expand the vocabulary and glossing over meanings that are vague can lead to misunderstanding the author.  I thought maybe I had been silly in buying the Fire model, but now am pleased I have one that can use the added narration feature.  I love both of my Kindles and the fun eternal lending library which is included in Amazon Prime membership. I still love all the paper and print books in my home, but I see myself carrying all my books on Kindle as I buy them in the future. The advantages of Kindle ownership are numerous:

  • Tiny, light, and holds a charge for a long time
  • Books, audio, and magazines are published in the format
  • Font size and lighting are adjustable
  • More and more books are available on Kindle all the time
  • Amazon gives super customer service and the free lending library

If you don’t have Amazon Prime you can do a free trial for a month, but to take full advantage of all it offers you need to own a Kindle.  I am extremely pleased with my decision to join and to buy my Kindles.  Now I am going to enjoy reading/listening to my new book to learn how to publish a book on Amazon.  It is all very fitting.

Religion Unplugged

January 23, 2014 — 4 Comments

Changing Hands Bookstore

Changing Hands Bookstore

book signing

book signing

A reformation of religion is happening before our very eyes. As the formal religions loose members and believers the souls are still out there wandering around seeking some meaning in life. This is an era of very lost souls grasping at self help, self hypnosis, and the usual self delusion. I am lucky my parents did not really introduce religion into my life.  They attempted, obviously out of guilt, to send me to the Presbyterians when I was about 11, but they told me it was for punishment. Maybe they let it slip, but I had the big picture which was that I was bad and the people at the Presbyterian church could whip me into shape.  That was my initiation into fake religion and it did have deep meaning in my formative years. I saw the lack of ethical standards, and besides, that church had a God awful choir. I had no positive reinforcement that would incline me to want to ever go to church. I felt perfectly righteous to rebel, and saw myself as something of a martyr whenever I had to go to any religious service. I have something like the opposite of Catholic guilt.  However, I have studied religion and read more books on the subject that most people, I think.

Last night in Tempe at The Changing Hands Bookstore I heard Thomas Moore speak to a crowd about his new book, A Religion of One’s Own, which I read and think is a grand opus…not a long and dry one…a deeply profound work that will change minds and souls. Tom Moore is to religion what Andrew Weil is to medicine. He has the education and credentials that are needed to start a reformation. I was surprised to hear the word reformation in his speech last night, but he knows of what he speaks. He talked about changing the world in the same way Pope Francis does when he makes his own breakfast. Since he spent years as a monk his piety can’t be questioned. Since he has a doctorate in world religion his knowledge of scripture, doctrines, and history are impeccable. Perhaps most important in our current soul crisis is his experience as a Jungian therapist. His direct experience with the suffering of his patients has shown him the sad results of religion served up with a side of hypocrisy and shame.

He asks the readers not to take this book lightly. I can’t imagine the kind of person who would do that, but they surely exist. He is sharing insight and wisdom that can extricate tortured souls from their day to day pain. He suggests that laborare est orare applies to all of us. In other words, each moment on earth has big potential in a sacred context. Every act, chopping wood, carrying water, or washing dishes provides an opportunity to make life a joyous celebration. Bliss and mysticism are states to which we can aspire and attain.  We are supposed to be happy, weird, and free.  So…here we have it, permission to go be free, from a verified expert in  academic knowledge. I hope we will all take him up on this offer, and predict the book will change the world in a very positive way.  (Read it.)

Hacking for Dollars

January 21, 2014 — 3 Comments

Target Hacking Spreads-Teen Hacker In Russia (via Repost Video News)

Target hack spreads; report says at least six other U.S. retailers hit by malware

(more…)

Edible Art Gala at Maker House

January 19, 2014 — 3 Comments

The Edible Art Gala hosted at Maker House last night by the Tucson Arts Brigade was extravagantly well produced.  There were musicians in all areas, some dancers and other short acts entertaining all the guests. The food art was set out for tasting and also served by waiters circulating through the crowd.  Artists with works in the silent auction were on hand, and everyone was encouraged to come in a costume that represented a work or art or a genre of art.    The lively crowd enjoyed the historic setting and the Maker House bar which makes a perfect community gathering place.  I tasted almost everything that had no meat, but the sensory excitement abounded, and I found I filled very quickly as I tasted my way around the tables.  I am happy to have been introduced to several catering businesses that are new to me and do some seriously high quality original work.  Everything I tested was delicious, but I saved myself for the scream cake as the last taste of the night.  It was outstanding kiwi flavor with the icing of the dreamiest texture.  I savored it with a lovely cappuccino from the bar as we enjoyed the outdoor patio with music under the stars.  It was an example of Tucson at it’s best.  Old friends, new art, and historic building turned community center…this is what I like to see happening in my city.

Tucson Village Farm

January 16, 2014 — 2 Comments

We are fortunate to have a wonderful teaching farm in Tucson, and I am lucky it is very close to my home.  I visited the Tucson Village Farm during the U Pick hours on Tuesday this week.  It is much more than I thought it was.  This campus is organized to teach kids how to grow, prepare, and eat organic produce.  Much is said about slipping healthy ingredients into the kid’s meals, but this is teaching an appreciation for the real thing.  I picked lovely greens and tasted a really good salad made from the garden while I was there.  I was pleased to see that many of the customers picking while I was there were kids and parents.  This is a natural way to teach the love of gardening and good health.

There is no better way to eat than farm to table.  It is encouraging to find this worthy institution making a difference in our city.  The food is tasty, too.

Eros and You

January 14, 2014 — 8 Comments

Eros Ramazzotti is my favorite Euro pop star and this song was his first giant hit in Europe. I had not seen this video story of his quest to find the love of his life.  It is like a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt in which the destination is not known, but clues are gathered. This love story has dream qualities in which strong symbols compel him to continue the search.  The Roman god Eros was involved with much mystery and trickery.  Eros fell in love with Psyche but concealed his identity while he courted her nightly.  His mother Aphrodite was jealous of Psyche’s beauty, and wished her harm.  The story has many dramatic twists and turns but in the end the couple does marry and live happily.

Eros has a sexual spark, but it can represent beauty, vitality and flow of life.  When a person place or thing turns you on it reminds you of the vital force within your own body.  To be sexy or feel attracted is to confirm your own mysterious connection to love and your destiny as a lover.  To follow each tiny vital impulse would prove too much, but how can we be sensitive and respond when true love calls?  It is possible that only at the end of your life will you be able to look back and identify your true loves, your true dreams, and your true beliefs?  Is the treasure hunt for love so subtle and full of mysterious layers that we can only understand in retrospect?  What will you hunt for on Valentine’s Day?  Where will you find Eros?

Juno

January 13, 2014 — 1 Comment

Juno is the Roman goddess of childbirth and marriage.  She conceived and gave birth to her son, Mars, the god of anger, by taking an herb given to her by the goddess Flora.  She acts as one of the three guardians of Rome together with Minerva and Jupiter.  Both Juno and Jupiter are said to be able to throw thunderbolts. She was jealous when Jupiter gave birth to a fully armed Minerva from his head, so she gave birth to her own warrior son.

In Thomas Moore’s new book, A Religion of One’s Own, he explains that Juno can be perceived as a guardian angel spirit for women.  Men have similar genius spirits, in a mythological sense.  These guardian angels or personal spirit guides act to individuate and protect people.  It is notable to me that either Jupiter or Juno can give birth to armed warriors for protection. Another key concept brought up in the book that is new to me is that Mars was considered to be a close friend of agriculture.  Mars protected the crops from pests.  Mars represents anger artfully directed, rather than repressed or exploded.  That is why they are called martial arts, not lucha libre.

The idea of protection reminds me that it is fitting and  healing to deal with dark emotions appropriately.  The energy of the thunderbolt throwing parents of Minerva and Mars must be carefully directed and not treated lightly.  War and anger may be a part of life, but they can be used to remove obstructions in an earthly or a spiritual realm.  Primal anger, which we all have, is useful and instructive.  It draws the line, but it can also cause great distress and confusion.  I agree with the idea that we need to be aware of our anger and how we express and use it as an integral part of a personal awakening.   I like the helpful imagery of my full time Juno guarding me, and plan to take her with me all the time.  If you enjoyed a guardian angel as a child, or even if you never did, it is not too late to relate to yours.

A Religion of One’s Own, Review

January 11, 2014 — 6 Comments

A Religion of One's Own

A Religion of One’s Own

I just read A Religion of One’s Own by Thomas Moore, an author I admire. I met him in person last May when he had recently completed the book and was in the editing process. The workshop I took with him then was about soul, spirit, and the distinction between the two. This new book goes into detail on this subject. Like his other books I have enjoyed the subject matter is easily accessible although the reader becomes highly aware of Tom’s deep background and knowledge of world religions, art, music, history, and natural magic. He spent many years as a monk learning languages and music composition as he studied to be ordained as a priest. His knowledge of Greek and Latin always add depth to his concepts because he carefully traces true meanings in words.  The words I learn from him stay in a special memory bank of super charged, precious possessions.  They are magic words for me, with mystical value.

I read the book almost non stop on my Kindle paperwhite, a new gadget I now think is excellent.  One feature of Kindle reading is the ability to look up words within the device as you read.  The words you look up are added to your ongoing vocabulary list.  Since I learn new words every time I read his work, this was fabulously useful. Here is my new vocabulary from this book:

  • pleroma
  • pusillanimous
  • constellate
  • canonical
  • inchoate
  • detrius

Normally I would take the meaning from context and go on, but now I am a real vocabulary builder.  What Thomas Moore is asking us all to do is to develop a much broader vocabulary and understanding of religion.  The mystical and mysterious is essential to our fulfillment and happiness.  Without soul, spirit, and practices that maintain the health and vigor of both in our lives we can become dead to the pleasure of being alive.  Churches and formal religion have lost the leadership role they once maintained without question.  Now it is important not to discard the sacred and the meaningful, but to make a unique personal system that is true to our own natures.  Dogma and deterioration from institutions can be replaced by practices that feed our souls and our spirits, and nurture harmony in our communities.

I know all of Tom’s many fans will be happy to read this latest edition of his teaching.  If you have not had the pleasure of meeting him in person or in writing you are missing a very special treat.  He is a Renaissance Man in that he is honestly creating a renaissance vortex and map for his readers to follow.  He is asking no less than a rebirth and re-empowerment of our sacred traditions so as not to loose the beauty and significance of them.  He gives concrete suggestions and guidance to achieve this goal by treating all the religious traditions as one’s own.  Personal wisdom and satisfaction are essential to living a blissful, peaceful life.  Thomas Moore has once again created a meaningful and significant lesson we can all easily grasp.  The book is short, compelling, and will leave you in a new frame of mind.  It is worth reading, and even more worth practicing.